Traffic controlling system for railroads



April 16, 1935. G. H. WION 1,998,037

Filed Jan. 26, 1932 INVENTOR Mm @ATTQRNEY' Patented Apr. 16, 1935 UNITED STATES" PATENT m esson 1,998,051 TRAFFIC CONTROLLING SYSTEM Foe. nAnnoAns George H. Wion, Rochester, N. -Y., assignor to General Railway Sign al company, Rochester,

Application January 26, 1932, Serial No. 588,890

7 Claims. (01'. 246-3) This invention relates to trafiic controlling systems for railroads, and more particularly per-.

, the remote control relay. The present invention in part resides in the novel manner in which the above mentioned features are accomplished over a minimum number of line wires and without the use of a battery local to the outlying track switch.

.Vario-us other features, advantages and char acteristic functions of the present invention will be in part obvious from the accompanying drawing, and in part pointed out, as the description of the invention progresses.

V In describing the invention in'detail, reference will be made to the accompanying drawing, which illustrates in a simplified and diagrammatic manher the circuits and parts of a switch machine control and indication system embodying the present invention, as applied to a singlet'rack switch. g

With reference to the accompanying drawing, a railroad track switch TS is indicated as being operated by a switch machine SM, which may be of any suitable type such as disclosed,

for example, in the patent to W. Howe, No. 1,456,903, dated September 4, 1923.

This switch machine SM preferably has associated therewith a suitable point detector contact mechanism PD, such as shown, for example, in the patent to C. S. Bushnell No. 1,517,236, dated November 25, 1924. For convenience in describing the present invention, the point detector PD is shown as having only movable'contacts 5 and 6 with their associated fixed contacts. These contacts 5 and 6 are jointly operated by the track switch TS' and the switch machine SM, as in the usual point detector con tact mechanism, so as to assume normal or ree verse extreme positionswhen the track switch is in normal or reverse positions respectively andlocked by the switchmachine, and so as to assume intermediate or mid-stroke positions whenswitch machine ,or whenever the track switch is unlocked.

Associated with the switch machine is a control relay CH of the two position polarized type, that is, its contacts are operated to opposite positions by the application of potential of opposite polarities, and are held in their last op-' erate'd positions by some suitable means such 7 as a magnetic stick type structurelor a suitable mechanical toggle device. One relay providing these characteristics hasb'e'en disclosed for ex-.. ample in the pending application ofJ. F. Merkel Ser. No. 536,917, filed. May 12, 1931.

A switch repeating or position indicating re lay WP of the usual polar-neutral typeis pro vided to indicate the position of the track switch' in accordance with control circuits governed by the point detector contacts, the control relay CR and a. switchmachine' control lever SML located in the tower; This polar neutral relay WP may be employed either at thetrack switch cific circuits are controlled thereby. It is understood of course that'some suitable tramc controlling devices are gove its indications.

Preferably associated mired in accordance with with'the track switch TS is the usual detector track section having a track battery and the usual track relay as well as suitable sighal's forygove'rning traffic thereover, but allof these" devices and usual features of interlocking systems have been omitted forthe sake of simplifying the disclosure of the present invention. l

A suitable source of electrical energy is located in the tower of the interlocking plant for supplying energy to the various switches and other traflic controlling devices of the system. For this pur pose a battery BT has been illustrated asasupplying' energy to bus Wires I0 and F2 from which energy is taken both at the tower and at the switch machine for governing the track switch In the tower, a switch machine control lever SML is provided for governing the application of energy to the polarized circuits for operating the control relay CR and for suitably governing the WP relay to give the required indication'oi correspondence in accordance with the present invention.

Although the switch machine control lever SML has been shown as a simple free lever, it is to be understood that it may be of any suitable type known in the railway signalling art, as for example, the usual interlocking control lever hav ing mechanical interlocking connecting it with the other devices in the system, or suitable electrical interlocking may be employed in the system. Also, suitable detector locking, approach locking and such other features of an interlocking system may be associated with the switch machine lever SML, as desired, so as to provide adequate protection for the operation of trains over the track switch TS, all of which will be well understood by those skilled in the art and need not be set forth in this connection.

It is believed that the nature of the invention, its advantages and characteristic features can be best understood with further description being set forth from the standpoint of operation.

Operation polarity which causes its contacts to be actuated to normal right hand positions. This normal energizing circuit for the control relay CR, is closed from the positive bus H3, through wires. i5 and I6, contact ll of lever SML in a normal position, line wire |8, wire i9, windings of control relay CR, wire 2G, line wire 2|, contact 22 or" lever SML in a normal position, wire 2'5, to the negative bus l2. Although the current which flows in this circuit continually actuates the contacts if relay CR to right hand positions, it is to be understood that these contacts would remain in such positions should the control relay CR be deenergized.

With the control lever SML- in a normal position, the contacts of the control relay CR in normal positions, and the point detector contacts in normalpositions, a normal energizing circuit is completed for the switch position indicating relay WP from the positive bus in, through wires l5 and i6, contact ll of lever SML in a normal position, line wire i3, wire 24, polar con tact 25 of control relay CR in a right hand position, wire 26, movable contact 5 in .a. normal position, wire 21, windings of relay WP, wire 28, movable contact 5 in a normal position, wires 29, and 3|, to the negative bus i2. The current which flows in this normal energizing circuit for the switch repeating relay WP causes its polar contacts to be actuated to left hand extreme positions and its neutral contacts to be picked up so that suitable circuits may be selected, as indicated by the legend on the drawing, in accordance with the correspondence of the track switch with the point detector contacts PD, the control relay CR and the control lever SML.

Whenever the operator'desires to operate the track switch TS to the opposite position, (if it is safe to do so) he moves the lever SML to the opposite position which reverses the polarity applied tothe control relay CR.

Assuming that the operator moves the lever SML to the reverse position, the reverse energizing circuit for the control relay GR is closed from the positive bus l0, through wires. 95 and 32, contact 22 of lever SML in a reverse position, line wire 2|, wire 28, windings of control relay CR, wire l9, line wire I8, contact I! of control lever SML in a reverse position, wire 23, to the negative bus 52. The current which flows in this circuit actuates the contacts of the control relay OR to left hand positions.

It is to be noted that the operation of the lever SML to a reverse position removes positive potential from the line wire 58 and places negative potential upon this wire, so that even before the control relay CB. responds to the application of the opposite polarity, the normal energizing circuit for the relay WP is opened or discontinued, as the same potential is applied to both terminals of the relay WP, or in other words a shunt circuit is closed. After the response of the control relay CR, this shunt circuit is opened by the contact 25 in a left hand dotted line position.

It is to be further noted that the polar contact 33 governs the operation of the switch machine SM by applying positive potential from the bus it to the normal operatingwire ,N when in the normal position and to the reverse operating wire R when in a reverse position, the circuit being completed from the switch machine to the negative bus l2 through the common wire 35, all of which has been illustrated conventionally rather than in detail, it being understood that suitable means is provided in the switch machine for opening .the normal and reverse operating circuits and for closing the opposite operating circuit when the switch is in mid-stroke and when a particular operation has been completed.

The operation of polar contact 33 of the control relay OR to the reverse position energizes the reverse operating circuit of the switch machine SM as-above mentioned, and causes the operation of the track switch TS to a reverse extreme locked position. During'this operation while the track switch TS is unlocked, the movable contacts 5 and 5 of the point detector PD assume intermediate mid-stroke positions, in which positions a shunt circuit is completed for the relay WP from its left hand terminal through wire 23, movable contact 5 in an intermediate position, wire 36, movable contact 6 in an intermediate position, wire 2?, to the right hand terminal of relay WP. This shunt circuit during operation of the track switch TS insures that the relay WP will give the proper indication of the unlocked condition of the track switch.

At the end of the reverse operation with the track switch locked, the movable contacts 5 and ii assume reverse extreme positions in correspondence with the reverse positions of the contacts of the control lever SML and the control relay CR. This completes the reverse energizing circuit for the relay WP from the positive bus to, through wires I5 and 32, contact 22 of lever SlViL in a reverse position, line wire 2|, wire polar contact 36 of control relay CR in a left hand position, wire 3?, movable contact 5 of the point detector PD in a reverse position, wire 28, windings of relay WP, wire 21, movable contact 6 of the point detector PD in a reverse position, wires 38, 30 and El, to the negative bus 12. The current which ilows in this reverse energizing circuit for the indicating relay WP causes its polar contacts to be actuated to right hand reverse positions and its neutral contacts to assume energized positions, whereby the proper circuits may be selected in accordance with the reverse position of the track switch TS and the correspondence of the switch with the lever SML and control relay CR.

bereadily understood. by analogy to the operations and functions already described, as such operation is: merely an inverse function of the reverse operation. V

A control and indication system for: a railway power operated track switch has been shown and described wherein the indication relay not only indicates the position of the track switch, but also the correspondence of the track switch withthe controllever and control relay. This is accomplished over a minimum number of line wires for each track switch. Itis tobe under-- stood of course, that two line wires, such as line wires l8 and 2!, are provided for each track switch for its control and indication besides the bus wires Ill and I2 which extend to all of the outlying track switches. This provides a safe and economical system for the control and indication of a track switch. f

Having thus described a control and indication system for railroad track switches as one specific embodiment of the present invention,-it is de-- sired to be understood that this form is selected to facilitate in the disclosure of the invention rather than to limit the number of forms which it may assume; and, it is to be further understood that various modifications, adaptations and alterations may be applied to the specific form shown to meet the requirements of practice, without in any manner departing from the spirit or scope of the present invention except as limited by the appended claims.

What I claim is: V

1. In a control and indication'system for railroad track switches, a track switch, a switch machine having normal and reverse operating circuits, a polar control relay having contacts for governing said normal and reverse operating circuits by applying energy from a pair of bus wires, a control lever, two control wires connecting said control lever with said control relay, means for connecting said control wires to said bus wires respectively and for reversing said connections said means including said control lever, point detector contacts jointly operated by said track switch and said switch machine, a switch position indicating relay, and means energizing said indicating relay from one of said bus wires and said control wires alternately depending upon the position of said track switch in correspondence with said control relay and said control lever. V v

'2. In a control and indication system for railroad track switches, a switch machine for operating a track switch, a pair of bus wires supplied with energy,.a pair of control wires, a control lever for reversibly connecting said control wires to said bus wires, a control relay connected to said control wires and responsive to the direction of current flow therein to govern said switch machine to opposite positions upon the reversal of said control lever, point detector contacts operated jointly by said switch machine and the track switch, an indication relay, and means supplying energy to said indication relayfrom said bus wires in accordance with the position of said point detector contacts, said means including said control lever, said control wires and contacts of said control relay, whereby said indication relay indicates the position of the track switch and the correspondence of the control lever and control relay with such position of the track switch. I

3. In a control and indication system for railroad track switches; a track switch; a'swit'ch machine for operating said track switch; a battery in a tower; two bus wires extending from said battery to said track switch; a control relay having contacts for governing the application of energy fromsaid bus wires to said switch machine; two control wires extending from; the tower to said controlrelay; a control lever in thetower for reversably connectingsaid control wires tosaid bus wires; point detector contacts jointlyoperated by said track switchand said switch machine to normal-,'reverse or mid stroke positions; an indication relay; and means including contacts on said control relay and said point detector contacts for energizingsaid indication relay from one of said bus wires and said control wires alternately depending upon the normal or reverse condition of said system; whereby said indication relay indicates the position of said track switch and its correspondence with said control relay and said control lever. V

4;. In combination; a distant track switch; a switch machine for operating said track switch; a polar relay for controlling said switch machine to assume a position corresponding to the polar position assumed bysaid polar relayand controlled over a pair of wires connected to a source of current in a local oifice; a lever in said oflice for polechanging said source on said pair of wires; 3. third wire leading from one terminal of said source to the location of said track switch; a polar indication relay; and means for energizing said indication relay by current of one polarity from said source and over one of said pair of wires and said third wire when said lever, said polar relay and said switch machine assume one position, and for energizing said indication relay by current of the reverse polarity from saidsource and over one of said pair of wires and said third wire when said lever, said polar relay and said switch machine assume the opposite position.

5. In combination; a distant track switch; a switch machine for operating said track switch; a polar relay for controlling said switch machine to assume a position corresponding to the polar position assumed by said polar relay and controlled over apair of wires connectedto a source of current. in a local oifice; a lever in'said oilice for polechanging said source on said pair of wires; a third wireleading from one terminal of said source to the location of said track switch; a polar indication relay; and means for energizing said indication relay by current of one polarity from said source and over one of said pair of wires and said third wire when said lever, said polar relay and said switch machine assume one position, and for energizing said indication relay by current of the reverse polarity from said source and over the other of said pair of wires and said third wirewhen said lever, said polar relay and said switch machine assume the opposite position.

6. In combination; a distant track switch; 'a switch machine. for operating said track switch; a polar relay for controlling said switch machine to assume a position corresponding to the polar position assumed by said switch machine, and means for connecting the unused terminal of said indication relay to the other terminal of said source only when said lever and said polar relay both assume a position corresponding to the position assumed by said switch machine.

'7. In a control and indication system for railroad track switches, a track switch, a switch machine, a pair of bus wires, a pair of control wires, a control relay governed over said control wires for controlling said switch machine by energy relay to said third wire in accordance with the. from said bus wires, a control lever for applying said track switch only if said lever assumes a 10 corresponding position.

GEORGE H. WION. 

